What are the Symptoms of Heartworm Disease?

Some of the typical symptoms include coughing, tiring easily, labored breathing, and weakness and weight loss. However, it is important to remember that dogs will often show no obvious symptoms at all in the early stages of the disease. Since the symptoms are common for a variety of illnesses, it is vital to have your dog checked annually for heartworms, even if on heartworm prevention regularly. The symptoms that occur will depend on each individual dog and the severity of the disease.

How Are Heartworms Detected?

We perform a blood test called an “occult” heartworm check, which detects the antigen (a protein) produced by the adult heartworm. This is the most accurate test that we have. However, it will only detect an infection that has been picked up prior to the last six months. So if your animal has not been on heartworm prevention, we will usually recommend another heartworm check in six months. We may also use x-rays to identify typical changes produced by heartworm disease in the heart and pulmonary artery.

Your adult dog must be tested for heartworms before being put on heartworm prevention. The drug in the preventive combined with heartworm disease could cause an adverse reaction, which may be fatal for your dog.

Monthly heartworm prevention is the most popular treatment method. You can choose either Interceptor (milbemycin oxime) or Iverhart Max (ivermectin/pyrantel/praziquatel). These products come in flavored chewable tablets or treats. Both products work by killing the larvae for the first 30-45 days of their life cycle, although the drug itself is only in the animal’s body for 1-2 days. The advantage of the monthly method is that you can give it a few days early or a few days late and not lose any effectiveness. In addition to preventing heartworm disease, Interceptor also controls roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms in your dog. Iverhart Max also controls roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. This is a benefit for those people who have had parasites diagnosed in their dog in the past. These preventative products are based on the weight of your animal, so feel free to bring your dog in at any time to be weighed.

Our goal is to keep you informed about heartworm disease, its risks and the types of prevention that are available. If you have any additional concerns, please feel free to contact us

How Are Heartworms Prevented?

We recommend heartworm prevention for all dogs, to be given year-round. Heartworm prevention is a drug that will
kill the heartworm larvae that enter your dog’s system before they mature into adult heartworms.

How Does Your Dog Get Heartworms?

Your dog contracts heartworms from infected mosquitoes. A mosquito bites an infected dog, picking up the baby heartworms (microfilaria) from the blood. When this same mosquito bites your dog, larvae are deposited into your dog’s tissues. The larvae then migrate to the heart over a six-month period where they mature into adult heartworms. The adult females give birth to microfilaria, which travel throughout the bloodstream. From here the cycle starts over again.

Heartworm disease is found in almost all areas of the country, but is especially prevalent in the southern region. All dogs are susceptible. Smaller housedogs are at a lower risk, but if they contract the disease it can cause more severe health problems.

What is Heartworm Disease?

Heartworms are worms, which are found in the heart and in the large blood vessels coming from the heart. The full-grown female heartworms can get as large as 10-14 inches long. The heartworms will increase the heart’s workload and cause a variety of problems, including heart failure, circulatory problems, pneumonia, liver and kidney problems, lameness and brain and eye disease.

Your dog can contract the disease while very young, therefore it is important to start heartworm preventative early, usually 10-13 weeks of age.